Here's to Hoping the Weight is Over

By Dan and Jennifer Digmann

3 min read

Is it possible to be hopeless and optimistic at the same time? Welcome to my world when it comes to weight loss as a woman who uses a wheelchair and can no longer stand on her own.

Struggling with my weight

I am overweight, and I have struggled to lose weight for most of my life. From when I was a little girl until right now, I’ve always been aware of, been uncomfortable with, and been embarrassed by my size; all the while knowing that I need to lose weight.

But it’s in my nature that I hate to lose. I’m not exactly a brat. It’s just that I am more of a poor sport and a sore loser. Maybe because I am a little sister and a lifelong Michigan Wolverine football fan, but I am not fond of losing.

And it was not until I typed that sentence that I saw its incredible irony: I hate to lose, yet I want to lose more than anything.

Trying to remain hopeful

I have tried to lose weight numerous times in my life. Doctors who have advised me about weight loss always suggested healthy diets and exercise. While I have had some success with healthy diets, long-term sustained weight loss is a constant struggle.

Exercise is a struggle, too. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was 23. Five years after my MS diagnosis, I could no longer walk, yet walking is what many weight loss experts say is critical to controlling your weight. Ugh!

Even with these challenges, I’ve tried to remain hopeful. My hope is more realistic now than ever before because injectable medications are available to assist with weight loss. Maybe those drugs finally could help me, and help my husband, Dan, too.

No, Dan does not need to slim down. He is my incredible husband who loves me despite my weight woes; wheelchair and all. And I love Dan, and I continue trying to lose weight for him because he is my primary caregiver and he also has MS. Of course, a lighter frame would make his day-to-day caregiving responsibilities easier and hopefully also preserve his health.

It’s not like I haven’t tried to lose weight

Again, it’s not like I haven’t tried. Shortly after Dan and I got married nearly 19 years ago, I looked into bariatric surgery. But I was not eligible to have it because I don’t walk. What a disappointment, but I did find some success with Weight Watchers, and I was happy. Brief moments of happiness because, well, food always is there for me.

I honestly thought I would have time to change my relationship with and fondness for food, but time and life go by so fast. I looked at the calendar and poof! I’m turning 50 in a matter of months, as of my writing this. Eke! I have to deal with my obesity. Now.

It turns out I am not alone with this weighty issue. Just look around. Obesity is everywhere. In fact, around 73% of American adults are overweight in general, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control.

Can new weight loss medications help?

I always wanted a miracle pill or way for me to lose weight. So, I’m left pondering whether the likes of newly-introduced weight loss medications such as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro will be the answer to my call to shed this surplus of pounds.

You probably have seen news stories about those medications or a shrinking celebrity or two who credit these drugs with helping them lose weight. But as a non-celebrity, are any of these meds available and realistic for me or others in my MS community struggling with their weight?

It is exciting and promising that these injectable medications exist. However, these drugs can also have some serious disadvantages. The meds can be expensive and may have unpleasant side effects, ranging from gastrointestinal and stomach issues, to dizziness and fatigue.¹

Seeing if they could be an option

My secondary progressive MS and inability to walk add to the complexities surrounding the potential life-changing impacts these medications have.

For now, I guess I literally will have to weight and see if they are an option for me.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The MultipleSclerosis.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Therry Neilsen Moderator & Contributor
Jennifer, I think I have spent my entire life fighting with my weight. Over the course of fifty years of my marriage, I have wavered between 162 pounds and 207....Of all the diets you've tried, I've probably tried most of them. I'm very fortunate in my disease course because I can and do exercise. I work out with a trainer three times a week, take a weekly yoga class and walk with a friend. I was moved to try the Noom weight loss program because they sponsored my favorite NPR radio program, and lost 40 pounds in time for my fiftieth college reunion. I couldn't keep all of it off, but I currently weigh what I weighed when I was 13 years old, and have decided that's good enough for an old lady! Weight matters in that it can hamper our ability to move, but eating consciously and moving to the best of our ability matters too. Good for you and Dan!
AshliFaith Member
 I fully understand what you're talking about when referring to needing to shed a bunch of weight. I grew up in a home with morbidly obese parents & I was right there with `em too! Shoot, by the time I was 16 I weighed 275lbs & wore a size 26/28 in blue jeans (& those were extremely tight). It seemed that any time I "attempted" to lose the weight I would fail...that's until I took the initiative to beat this & start counting all the calories I ate & move around more than just watching t.v.! By eating a 1,000 calories a day & changing my daily life is all it took to go from 275lbs to 142lbs. The only downside was that it took me 2 looonnng years, but all in all, it was worth it! I know for a fact that no matter the ailment you've been diagnosed with, your strong will to be successful in getting the pounds off will be a lot stronger than anything else! God bless you & yours🤗💕, Ashley Bonanno 🎶
1. Alene L. Brennan, RYT Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="AshliFaith" user-id="4175075"/> thank you so much for sharing your story, I'm sure those early years were hard. I really admire the courage you had to start and maintain your weight loss journey, that's incredible and something to be so proud of. Congratulations and thanks for sharing the inspiration here with our community! Best Alene, Moderator 
2. Alene L. Brennan, RYT Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="AshliFaith" user-id="4175075"/> thank you so much for sharing your story, I'm sure those early years were hard. I really admire the courage you had to start and maintain your weight loss journey, that's incredible and something to be so proud of. Congratulations and thanks for sharing the inspiration here with our community! Best Alene, Moderator
Kim Dolce Moderator & Contributor
Jennifer, If you haven't already, you could ask your doc about physical therapy. Whenever I picked their brains, my PTs have been great at suggesting resources and techniques for what I can do at home. You probably already know this--there are so many ways to raise your heart rate while in a chair. Search Labs spell it out nicely; here's the link: <a href='https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+get+a+cardiovascular+workout+in+a+wheelchair&rlz=1C1JZEV_enUS929US930&oq=how+to+get+a+cardiovascular+workout+in+a+wheelchair' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+get+a+cardiovascular+workout+in+a+wheelchair&rlz=1C1JZEV_enUS929US930&oq=how+to+get+a+cardiovascular+workout+in+a+wheelchair</a> Some things listed are: wheelchair sprinting, performing rapid pushing motions, using a rowing machine adapted for wheelchair use, playing wheelchair sports like basketball or netball, swimming, or doing seated exercises that raise your heart rate and make you slightly out of breath, while ensuring to gradually build up the intensity and duration of your workouts. Your PTs should plug into these things and design a program for you, if you specifically request this kind of program to your referring doc. I am suggesting these things because I have had great success working with PTs, where I made my problem areas and goals very clear and they custom-designed a program for me. Again, you probably already know this: Youtube has tons of videos using seated cardio/resistance exercises. I feel you about the weight loss. I took off 40 pounds last year and put on 10 this year. So I'm now losing that 10 just in time for holiday dinner-weight gain, lol. I hope you will soon find a movement program that fits your needs and wants. Hugs, Kim, moderator
1. Kim Dolce Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Silver Oma" user-id="8860740"/> Ah, I have balance issues too! My PTs had me standing on a thick, squishy cushion, then close my eyes! They spotted me while I fell to one side and then the other, until I instinctively exhaled in bursts, kind of like the Lamaze method, lol, and it was very effective in restoring my balance so I wasn't falling all over the place. I don't do this at home, though. Another balance exercise they had me do that made me see some progress: They had me walk briskly in a straight line down the hall, then told me to abruptly pivot until I was facing the opposite direction. By the end of PT, I was nailing it without losing my balance! I also suffer from BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo), and they did the Epley maneuver several times throughout PT until I no longer had dizzy spells. I have had them in the year since then, but they were very brief and resolved on their own. My PTs said anytime the dizziness returns, I can just call them and they'll do the Epley for free 😀 There are youtube videos for balance, too! One has you standing in a corner for safety with a chair to hang onto, then closing your eyes and doing some movements. Tons of balance videos. We are so lucky that we have many resources for disabled-specific exercise 😀 Warmly, Kim, moderator
2. Silver Oma Member
 <inline-mention username="Kim Dolce" user-id="4084112"/> hold on a sec, I have to stop laughing and catch my breath. Anything even remotely requiring me to close my eyes (not seated) will be a 9/10 chance that I'll lose my balance. The "PT" testing that was done was aborted prematurely due to the therapist freakin out about my wobbles. The hallway walk my neuro does and upon pivoting I say "Hello" to the wall. Hahaha My short term goal is to dive deep into researching online resources / videos that will motivate me to attempt to make a positive change. Thank you for sharing your experiences. The Epley exercise is a new term for me (also looking into). You are right, we have many various avenues to receive assistance from (some free, some covered by insurance). Now for the hardest part: Finding what works for me. Would be easier if there was a Reference List (maybe a project in the future). Thank you again, I'll keep you posted.
Silver Oma Member
I had to re-read part of your post as it hit home with me. Both you AND your husband have MS? It's not something that I have seen in writing, but it is ALSO what eventually happened with my (now-ex) Husband and me. Shortly after he was diagnosed our marriage imploded and ended in divorce. (His wish was for me to disappear.) Fast forward almost twenty years: I go in seeking answers to medical problems I've noticed. Simultaneously with receiving diagnosis I was questioned why I wasn't diagnosed earlier. But I veer off the path. How do you tell adult children that you also have MS without looking like you are copying their father's diagnosis? It has been very hard. Now, don't think they aren't trying to be supportive, but who would have expected both parents to have this--neither side has had anyone diagnosed with MS or similar issues. I have been ill most of my life so adding this was extremely difficult. I was forced to talk to them when I was no longer able to work. You are an inspiration as you are trying to make changes even with your limited mobility. This gives me motivation to research different exercises that I can begin to do on my own. Thank you for sharing your journey, hopes, and wishes for the future. If I may, could I use your name in my new Mantra? WWJD What Would Jenni Do? LMK Sending virtual High Fives
1. Kim Dolce Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Silver Oma" user-id="8860740"/> I know you directed your comment to Jennifer, but I just had to chime in! It's wild that you were diagnosed with MS after your husband was. What are the odds? We with MS who live in the US represent only .3125 percent of the population. In other words, the US population is approx. 320 million, with 1 million MS patients. We are literally one in a million! A million sounds like a huge number, but MS is still considered a rare disease. Compare that to ALS, which numbers only about 30,000 cases in the US. That's a crazy big range of rare diseases! You mentioned that there is no MS in your prospective family histories. Did you know that is true of most of us? I too have no relatives with MS on both my mom and dad's side. Yet, I know PwMS whose grandparent had it, or a sibling, parent, aunt/uncle, cousin, son or daughter. This is why it is called genetic and not hereditary. Researchers haven't yet figured out what's up with that. Anyway, Imma loving how you are engaging lots with this conversation 😀 That is testament to Jennifer's thought-provoking article 😀 Hugs, Kim, moderator
2. Silver Oma Member
 <inline-mention username="Kim Dolce" user-id="4084112"/> you pointed out that digging further into relatives past parents might reveal illnesses / symptoms related to MS. Sadly, most of my blood relatives have passed on and records past my grandparents (which is spotty at best) have all been lost to bombing and destruction done during WWII. My daughter has tried to research our past and has also found bumps in the process due to adoptions, illegitimate children never known about, and lack of record keeping as possible issues. The countries' borders were moving which makes my family tree branches reach into several different (current day) countries. Add to that (I say-the extra hot-fudge sauce on my banana split sundae-lol) the major conflict in WWII. Religious beliefs were changed / hidden in order to survive. Many members of families were split up in attempts to make it to a "safe" area never to be reunited. Several were successful in obtaining passage to the USA where they started their lives over. One of the ships' manifests found ALL the "passengers" that survived the transAtlantic voyage had the surname of Newman (and today many variations still exist) which, if we think about it, they were -- new man -- new life. One of our branches is from that escapee vein. Most likely, my x-mother-in-law's family was from an area referred to in historic documents as Romania. Scary that when we were able to find photographs, my daughter looks eerily like a twin of Romanian women. Sorry, my long post, mental train went down a different track. Hahaha Just wanted to share (lss) that many of us don't know much about our true ancestorial roots. My eldest granddaughter had a Grafted branch (adopted) who had diabetes which was hard to find. Another one of my granddaughters has Epilepsy. Big news to us way after realizing this was that her father's mother has epilepsy (still living-just didn't share this little gem with her son). Wondering where this will take us next. Thank you for reading.
Anthonyp Member
I feel this is another part of MS where other people and even my own instincts expect me to fight, punch, kick, karate, judo, kung fu, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, hulk hogan, Dwayne Johnson my way through it, and that's great for the first ten minutes of trying that!
1. Silver Oma Member
 <inline-mention username="Anthonyp" user-id="4726317"/> not as physically explosive as your post, but overall, yes, we are supposed to muddle through. Problem is, I don't have the physical or mental stamina to slough through mud any more. Got a good laugh reading your post. Thank you for sharing your mental images. Keep on fighting your way through.
2. Anthonyp Member
 <inline-mention username="Silver Oma" user-id="8860740"/> <img src="/content/images/2024/10/16/c7d4950d12626c637592fa140c986b6a_medium.jpg" alt="Eye" class="uploaded-image"/>